


Back In Time

by jadekirk



Series: The James Tales: Life and Times of a Chef [8]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-07
Updated: 2013-05-07
Packaged: 2017-12-10 16:08:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadekirk/pseuds/jadekirk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and James on a mission to change history... Of course, it doesn't go exactly to plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had to come up with this after seeing Children of Earth.  
> Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CHILDREN OF EARTH EPISODE 4! DO NOT READ ON IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE EPISODE!!

James walked up behind Jack and laid a hand on his shoulder, making the other man jump in surprise. "What the Hell happened here?" he asked, indicating the wreckage around them.

"Exactly that, Hell on Earth," Jack replied sadly. "Where were you? We could've used you and then Ianto..," he trailed off.

"What about Ianto?" James asked, fearing the worst.

"He's dead," Jack blurted out, watching as the expression on the red head's face changed from shock to sadness. He knew that James and Ianto were close friends as they had just clicked from the moment they had met, sharing the same sense of humour and love of coffee. They could often be heard making some sarcastic comment about either the Doctor or Jack himself as they lurked near the coffee machine. "I'm sorry."

"He can't be," James said quietly.

"He is. I saw his... body with my own eyes. I was there when..."

"How did it happen?" James asked warily, not sure if he wanted to know or not but he felt he owed it to his friend to find out. "Was it a hail of bullets? Ray gun? Saving someone's life?"

"Poison gas."

"Poison gas? That's a bit anti-climatic, isn't it?" James said. "Right, Jack show me what you've got," he said, his voice all business.

Jack tapped a few keys on his wrist computer and showed James what they had recorded via Lois' contact lenses. He was surprised when James leapt back in horror with a loud yelp when the alien showed itself. "What is it?"

"Just strongly reminded of the film 'Alien', that's all," James replied. "I hate that film. Gave me nightmares for a week afterwards."

"You travel around with the Doctor and you've seen numerous aliens and yet a film gives you nightmares?"

"Shut up. And that's travelled. Past tense."

"What happened?"

"Don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I will end up ranting and you don't need that right now."

"So where were you?"

"As I said before, I don't want to talk about it."

Something had happened, Jack knew, to make the red head sound so bitter and weary, but he knew that if he pushed too hard, James would shut himself off. He was too much like the Doctor in that aspect. "He said that he loved me," Jack said, changing the subject.

"Who? Ianto?"

"Yes."

"Did you tell him back?"

"I... I couldn't."

"You couldn't manage to say three little words to him."

"Says the man who is unable to tell Martha that he loves her," Jack shot back, hating himself for the look that crossed James' face at his words.

"She knows."

"Does she?"

"Yes. I told her... This isn't about Martha or me, Jack, it's about you and Ianto."

"I gotta know," Jack said, trying to sound like his old self. "Did you and Ianto ever sleep together?"

James looked embarrassed. "Once."

"When did this happen?"

"Well, you were off with the Doctor, I invited Ianto out for a couple of drinks, because I couldn't stand the thought of him on his own, and we both got absolutely plastered." He sighed. "Once we sobered up, we agreed that it was just a one off thing."

"And was it?"

"Yes. Oh, we teased each other but nothing happened between us after that. You have to tell him, Jack."

"I can't. He's dead, remember?"

James sighed. "Well, somehow I don't think so."

"Why?"

"Because before I came here, I took a trip into the future and Ianto was there... Alive. So unless someone was messing with my brain, what you think happened, didn't."

"Wait a minute, you said you weren't travelling with the Doctor so how could you...?"

"Travel through time? Well, it's very simple," James replied, pulling up his sleeve, exposing a vortex manipulator. "I became a Time Agent."

"How..?"

"The Doctor dumped me in the future on the most primitive planet in the arse end of the galaxy. I had to wait until they had developed space travel so I could get off the damn planet to head back here. I had to join the Time Agency and..."

"How long?"

"A while. Just don't ask me to explain my time line to you as it will give you a headache. Gives me a headache too when I think about it."

"Non linear."

"Yup! Met up with a previous Doctor and a fair few future ones."

"So you know about regeneration then?"

"Yes. My past self doesn't so don't mention it unless I say about it first."

"So what's the eleventh Doctor like then? Which Doctor are you travelling with now?"

James smirked. "Can't tell you that... Spoilers. Anywhere between the tenth and twentieth."

"You're impossible. And that doesn't help."

"So I've been told. Now are we just going to stand here jawing or are we going to help Ianto?"

"Wouldn't that cause a paradox?"

"No. I remember him in the future so obviously he's all right."

"The Doctor..."

"Oh, screw the Doctor!"

Jack looked surprised, then looked over the angry red head, noticing for the first time, the form-fitting black leather outfit and collar. "What's with the outfit?"

"This? Oh, while I was waiting for the planet to catch up with the rest of the universe, I just...um, took it over."

"You took over a planet?"

"Yeah, in a good way. Oh come on!" James said exasperated, as he programmed in the destination on his wrist strap. "What date?"

"You know, that collar suits you. So does the leather..."

"Now's not the time for flirting. Now what date?"

"You sound like the Doctor."

"Don't say that."

"September the sixteenth, two thousand and nine," Jack said. "No, make it a few days before..."

"September the fourteenth all right with you? Or shall I just pick a date at random?"

"Fine. Let's go."

"Oh, now you want to get going," James said sarcastically as Jack placed his hand on his wrist-strap.

"Wait!"

"Oh, what now?"

"You sure this won't cause a paradox?"

"Yes. Now can we go?"

Jack nodded. "Let's go and save the day."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

"Finally." James pressed the button and sent them hurtling through the Time Vortex, to land in a heap on the table in the conference room of the Hub. "Ow!" James groaned, getting squashed. "Get off me!"

"Who are you?" a voice, that James recognised as Jack, asked. James realised that it wasn't coming from the lump on top of him and he roughly elbowed the Jack above him in the side.

"Did you have to elbow me that hard?" Jack groaned as he rolled off the red head, holding his side. "That hurt!" he added as he brushed himself down. He looked to see... himself standing at the head of the table. "Oh."

"We've crossed your time line," James stated, standing up and looking between the two Jacks.

"Who are you?" the other Jack asked James. "Where did you spring from?"

"Um, relax, Jack, I'm from the future and... I'm a future companion of the Do..," he trailed off as he spotted Martha sitting next to Ianto. "Martha! Ianto!" he exclaimed with a smile, enveloping them both in a hug.

"Sorry, who are you?" Martha asked. "Not complaining on the hugging thing but I at least like to catch the name first."

"Not again!" James groaned. "My name doesn't matter."

"Pleasure Planet, right?" the other Jack spoke up. "You were there with the eleventh Doctor... I almost didn't recognise you with your clothes on."

"Yes! That's me. Hey! I was dressed... mostly."

"Except for the time you and the tenth and thirteenth..." the Jack who had arrived with James added with a grin.

"That's enough thank you," James said, his face almost as red as his hair.

"Oh, of course," Martha said softly with a smile. "Didn't you also hook up with..?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, but I think you crossed your time line too."

"Oh, fuck!"

"Who is he?" a male London accented voice asked. "Doctor Owen Harper at your service."

"Well, he's a future Jack and I'm a future... person."

"Not another John Hart, is he?" a gorgeous Japanese woman spoke up.

"Definitely not. Although, if you met my... who are you?" James asked, giving her a speculative once over.

"Toshiko Sato. What's with the... um, leather?"

"Very form fitting," both Jacks said with equally dirty smiles as they leaned back to admire James' body in his outfit.

"I'll say," Tosh agreed quietly.

James looked at Gwen, who hadn't said anything yet. "Gwen?"

"Hm?"

"Nothing." James said with a roll of the eyes. "Owen Harper. Hmm, you must be that 'mess up my Medical Bay and I'll shoot you in the arse' doctor that I've heard so much about."

"Ianto?"

"Martha." James rubbed his forehead. "Damn, I need a coffee."

As if by magic, Ianto was there offering him a coffee. "Sir?"

"Oh, Ianto, if you weren't with Jack, I'd steal you for myself," James said, smiling at the younger man.

"Hey!" Both Jacks protested.

"At least invite us too," the Jack who arrived with James said.

"Both of you?" James said, raising an eyebrow. "Could work with that," he mumbled into his coffee. He took a sip and let out a moan of appreciation. "Mm," he purred before realising everyone was staring at him. "What?"

"That moan shouldn't be heard outside a bedroom," the other Jack commented.

"It's a very good cup of coffee," James said, blushing slightly. "Forget what I said earlier, Ianto, I'll steal you for myself anyway."

"That's very kind of you, sir," Ianto said with a small smile directed at James. He leaned forward to whisper in James' ear. Something, both Jacks noticed, that caused James' face to turn the colour of his hair.

"I'll keep it in mind," James said, turning to Ianto with a saucy wink. "All right, Jack, we've appeared to have gone back too far in time."

"You're the one who programmed it. Sometimes, I think the Doctor's lack of direction is catching."

"My sense of direction is perfectly fine," James protested, crossing his arms and glaring at Jack.

"Except for the time when you got lost going to Stonehenge," the Jack who arrived with James pointed out, "and ended up in Lover."

"There's a place called 'Lover'?" Owen asked, looking interested.

"Yes, it's in Wiltshire," Ianto stated, "on the opposite side of Salisbury to Stonehenge."

"I hate Rob for telling you that story, Jack. It's not my fault, all the roads around Salisbury are just really badly signposted."

"As I said, the Doctor's sense of direction is rubbing off on you."

"Not the only thing, it seems," Owen muttered, getting a raised eyebrow in reply from the red head.

"I heard that!"

"Or was it Jack doing the rubbing?"

"That's for me to know and you lot to find out... apart from my Jack of course. And by my Jack, I mean the heavy lump who almost squashed me into the table."

"Hey! Have you weighed yourself lately?" Jack retorted. "You still haven't told me the whole story of how you and..."

"Not the time, Jack."

"James, it must be during Reset!" James' Jack exclaimed, changing the subject.

"The, uh, giant bug thing?"

"Yeah. We can change history!"

"No way! Not like that!" James answered, taking a step back from Jack. "It's too risky. The Doctor, whenever he, or she, turns up, will have my head for causing a paradox."

"Oh and the reason why we came back isn't causing one?"

"No, because... that's different."

"Oh because you remember him being there?"

"Yes! He knows my biggest secret and everything. I told him after I got..," James trailed off. "We'll discuss it when we get back."

"Excuse me, did you just say 'he or she' regarding the Doctor?" Tosh asked, curious.

"Uh, yes, I did. Why?"

"Well, the Doctor on record has always been a man."

"Try telling that to his nineteenth self," James said with a snicker and then blushed. "I did tell you that my life was non linear, didn't I, Jack?"

"Yes, but you still won't tell me w..," Jack began breaking off when James glared at him. "If looks could kill..."

"Yes, not that it would last long," James muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Um, Ianto, is there a chance of another coffee?" He smiled as the other man poured him a coffee. "Thanks, you're my best friend."

"Is Jack's condition an open secret or something?" Gwen asked. "Was there an article in the paper or something?"

"No, I guess the Doctor told you," the other Jack answered, before James could reply.

"Is your name James?" Ianto wanted to know. "James what?"

"Yes. Jack, you weren't supposed to tell them all my name. I was supposed to be all mysterious. My surname is a surprise but you will find out."

"Are you still mad at the Doctor?" the Jack who came with James wondered. "Whichever one you were with."

"Why are you mad at him?" The other Jack asked, wondering if there was something he was missing.

"Long story and I don't want to talk about it. I also can't tell you your future so don't bother."

"Can't fault a man for trying."

"He's right though," James' Jack said softly. "You never did tell me why you're wearing leather."

"All part of the uniform."

"Wherever that's the uniform, where can I sign up?"

"Jack, we're interrupting their meeting, let's go and sort out that problem."

"Okay," Jack said before giving his team hugs all round, avoiding himself of course. "I..."

"Right, so obviously one of us is going to bite the dust," Owen said snarkily. "And our leader has gone all soppy over it."

"Come on!" James said, moving over to give Martha and Ianto a hug. "Catch you two later."

"Where's mine?" the other Jack said with a pout. "Don't I get one?"

"Oh, very well," James said, bounding over to embrace Jack in an extra long hug. "That's from your other self and while I know you're just dying to get your hands on your older self..."

"I know, no touching."

"Such a shame," James muttered in Jack's ear before he released Jack. "Jack! Come on!" he ordered, smirking when his Jack jumped and moved to his side. "I have you well trained, don't I?"

"Maybe later."

"Oh, you're incorrigible," Ianto stated with a slight smile at the exasperated look on James' face.

"Isn't he just?" James added with a wink. "Oh, Jack, just shoot him," he stated cryptically.

"Shoot who?"

"You'll see."

"You said to me not to change history and you did just that!"

"No, I didn't! I didn't say who, did I?" James growled. "Now, come on. We have to go. Catch you lot later."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

James pressed the button and they vanished from the boarding room to land in a heap in the... boarding room in the Hub. "Ow!" James groaned as his forehead connected with the wood of the table. "Jack get off me!"

"This is very suggestive," Jack said as he scrambled off James.

"Um, you don't have anything for a headache, do you?" James questioned, rubbing his forehead as he rolled over and sat up.

"I've got aspirin."

"No! I can't have that. Any paracetamol?"

"You're allergic?"

"I just said that, didn't I?"

"How many hearts do you have?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Humour me?" Jack said, going to the medical bay and fetching a stethoscope and some aspirin free painkillers with a glass of water. He handed the painkillers and water to James when he came back.

"Fine," James said, allowing Jack to undo the front of his outfit, exposing a key on a piece of string around his neck. "At your own leisure," he added as Jack moved the key so it dangled down the red head's back, placed the stethoscope against his chest and listened. He quickly placed the painkillers on his tongue and swallowed them with the water.

"One heart," Jack said, sounding almost disappointed. He took the earpieces of the stethoscope out of his ears. He took the glass from James and placed it on the table.

"You sound disappointed," James commented with a sly smile as he did up his outfit and pulled the key to the front.

"You'd make a good Time Lord."

"Don't you think I have changed enough? How the Hell am I supposed to become a Time Lord anyway?" James asked with a rise of his eyebrows.

"I don't know. Maybe you had one of those things, you know that the Master had or something."

"I'm not the Master."

"I didn't think you were, but..." Just to be sure, Jack scanned James with his wrist device. "You register as human."

"Well, duh!" James commented with a sly smile as he held up the TARDIS key. "Perception filter. It masks my hybrid self so I won't get stalked by hostile aliens wanting a piece of me. It lets me read as a plain boring old human and not of any interest to anyone... Anyway, enough about me," he stated, letting go of the key so it hung down against his chest, "we need a date and... where is everybody?" he asked, jumping to his feet.

"A date? Are you asking me out?"

"No! I mean a date for when we we are."

"Oh. I'm probably too old for you anyway."

James shot Jack a look. "Jack, I'm over three thousand years old. How can you be too old for me?"

"Looking good for it," Jack said with a wink. "And not even a grey hair to show for it."

"Jack! Quit flirting with me and find out a date."

"Well, the Hub is still standing so it's definitely before, well, when you found me."

"I got that, Captain Obvious, but an exact date would be nice."

"Oh, right!" Jack said before walking over to the nearest computer. "September tenth two thousand and nine." He pointed. "It said so right there on the taskbar."

"Getting closer. Let's stick here for now."

"And call Martha."

"Where is she?"

"On holiday with her boyfriend. He's quite sexy from what I remember..."

James felt intensely jealous but he quickly suppressed those feelings down as he knew it would be useless to express them at that moment. "She rushed into that quick. Well, I can't talk, I've been gone over nine hundred years."

"You vanished," Jack pointed out. "You told Ianto to tell us that you needed to sort a few things out and you didn't know when you would be back."

"Oh yes, that," James said softly. "I wasn't gone that long. I went back to work after a little thinking and told you and the Doctor to call off the search parties. I wonder if the reason he dumped me on that planet was revenge for me disappearing..."

"I remember that but why did you go in the first place?"

"Ianto knows. He was there when I..," James trailed off, remembering something. "Jack! I think I know why he is there in the future! No, I mean, I can guess why he survived the alien attack."

"You planning on sharing this sudden insight with the class?"

James smiled, a mysterious smile, which slightly unnerved Jack. "I might be wrong."

"You still going to share?"

"Where is everyone?"

"On a weevil hunt."

"Is that code for 'shagging Ianto'?"

"No, it's code for hunting weevils."

"Oh. Are you going to call Martha or not?"

"And say what? 'Hello, this a future Jack and I need you to come back to help with an invasion that hasn't happened yet'? That'd go down well."

"It's Martha. She's used to the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey aspects of time travel."

"Did you just say what I thought you did? Did you just sound a lot like the Doctor then or was that my imagination?"

"No, I said it. I thought it was... apt."

"You're as bad as the Doctor for withholding information," Jack accused.

"All you need to know at the moment is... that if I'm correct in my hypothesis on how Ianto survived... then, it's my fault."

TBC


End file.
